Hi all,
First time poster, short-term lurker. I'd greatly appreciate any advice.
We have a pair of unneutered male brothers, their two-year birthday is next month. They've been active and healthy the entire time. They eat Oxbow, with some fresh veg every night, and spend a few hours a day running around the house. Friendly little fellas. My first rats. Love 'em to bits.
Noticed a problem with little Felix a few days ago. He was eating the treat foods (lettuce, banana, etc.) more slowly than Oscar. This is *very* strange, as he *always* finishes his before Oscar, then hassles Oscar a little and Oscar squeals and tells him to F off. I also noticed there wasn't as many droppings in the cage, and some were tiny and black. And Felix started acting a little less boisterous. He doesn't eat the Oxbow anymore.
Separated them for a night to keep track of Felix's poop. The first night there was almost nothing, and he wouldn't take anything in the morning, even the fun foods. Took him in to our usual dog vet, and she gave us the bad news: she felt a large rigid mass in his abdomen that she thinks is a tumour. She said that while we *could* get him checked out, tested, and try to do something about it at a vet with a little more expertise with rats, she thought it best to just let him ride out his days as best as possible, and when the quality of life falls too far it's time. She seemed to think it was a matter of days. I know this is very likely the reality. But something inside me wants to at least know I did right by the little fella. In my mind at least, perhaps delusionally, there's some chance it's a blockage of some nature. Or, in addition to the tumour, it's a blockage of some nature. At a bare minimum, I want the best quality of life for him for the short time he has left.
A few tidbits:
-He ate a substantial chunk of tennis ball rubber a few days before this all started. Stole it from the dog and hid under a bed with it. I told the vet about this, of course, but she strongly felt that wasn't the issue.
-pooping's been a *little* better today, though everything is still small and hard when it comes out. There was more of it at least.
-We've been feeding him some lettuce, banana, blueberry and a pumpkin/flaxseed/honey mixture (saw that one somewhere online).
-He doesn't act distressed (at least to the untrained eye). He wanders about, is friendly, gladly grabs treats, comes over and sees what I'm up to. But he's not the same rat he was 5 days ago.
I tried to get an appointment at a nearby vet with more rodent expertise for a second opinion, but I can't get in for a while. Is a second opinion worth it here? Or am I just not quite accepting reality? (I'm not rich, but I do okay and money's not really an issue for this sort of thing.) Any suggestions? Anything we can try to make his life better?
Thanks so much for your time and expertise.
First time poster, short-term lurker. I'd greatly appreciate any advice.
We have a pair of unneutered male brothers, their two-year birthday is next month. They've been active and healthy the entire time. They eat Oxbow, with some fresh veg every night, and spend a few hours a day running around the house. Friendly little fellas. My first rats. Love 'em to bits.
Noticed a problem with little Felix a few days ago. He was eating the treat foods (lettuce, banana, etc.) more slowly than Oscar. This is *very* strange, as he *always* finishes his before Oscar, then hassles Oscar a little and Oscar squeals and tells him to F off. I also noticed there wasn't as many droppings in the cage, and some were tiny and black. And Felix started acting a little less boisterous. He doesn't eat the Oxbow anymore.
Separated them for a night to keep track of Felix's poop. The first night there was almost nothing, and he wouldn't take anything in the morning, even the fun foods. Took him in to our usual dog vet, and she gave us the bad news: she felt a large rigid mass in his abdomen that she thinks is a tumour. She said that while we *could* get him checked out, tested, and try to do something about it at a vet with a little more expertise with rats, she thought it best to just let him ride out his days as best as possible, and when the quality of life falls too far it's time. She seemed to think it was a matter of days. I know this is very likely the reality. But something inside me wants to at least know I did right by the little fella. In my mind at least, perhaps delusionally, there's some chance it's a blockage of some nature. Or, in addition to the tumour, it's a blockage of some nature. At a bare minimum, I want the best quality of life for him for the short time he has left.
A few tidbits:
-He ate a substantial chunk of tennis ball rubber a few days before this all started. Stole it from the dog and hid under a bed with it. I told the vet about this, of course, but she strongly felt that wasn't the issue.
-pooping's been a *little* better today, though everything is still small and hard when it comes out. There was more of it at least.
-We've been feeding him some lettuce, banana, blueberry and a pumpkin/flaxseed/honey mixture (saw that one somewhere online).
-He doesn't act distressed (at least to the untrained eye). He wanders about, is friendly, gladly grabs treats, comes over and sees what I'm up to. But he's not the same rat he was 5 days ago.
I tried to get an appointment at a nearby vet with more rodent expertise for a second opinion, but I can't get in for a while. Is a second opinion worth it here? Or am I just not quite accepting reality? (I'm not rich, but I do okay and money's not really an issue for this sort of thing.) Any suggestions? Anything we can try to make his life better?
Thanks so much for your time and expertise.
